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Justin Houston played three years at Georgia from 2008 to 2010 for coach Mark Richt. The edge rusher racked up 20 total sacks for the Dawgs. He also had a strong 38 tackles for a loss during his NCAA career. Though he saved his best for last. As a junior, he collected a strong 10.0 sacks and he had 18.5 TFLs. 

The stellar performance led to his selection as a member of both the All-SEC First Team and the NCAA All-American First team. After such a great season, Houston decided to enter the NFL draft. 

Surprisingly, many teams passed on Justin Houston. This included the hometown Atlanta Falcons, who badly needed pass rushers, and continue to lack production at the position currently. Justin finally heard his name called, as he was selected in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft, 70th overall to the Kansas City Chiefs. 

As good as Justin Houston was for the Bulldogs, he has been much better as a professional. He has registered an incredible 80.5 career sacks, which place him 9th on the current active sack leader's list. He's also posted 99 career tackles for a loss. As a primary pass rusher, he even has four career interceptions, one of those ending in a touchdown. 

Justin Houston had his breakout season in 2012, his second year as a pro. He increased his sack total from 5.5 to 10.0, starting a streak of three consecutive seasons with double-digit sacks. Houston upped his sack total to 11.0 in 2013, then amazingly doubled that number in 2014 to a robust 22 quarterback sacks. That set a Kansas City Chiefs single-season record and was just one sack away from breaking Michael Strahan's NFL Single Season Record. 

Houston earned many accolades for his historic performance, including a selection to the Pro Bowl and the All-NFL first team. He also received the Deacon Jones Award, a prize given to the NFL sack leader. Unfortunately, he was snubbed for defensive player of the year, in favor of JJ. Watt of the Houston Texans who had 20.5 sacks himself. 

Former Bulldog, Justin Houston

Former Bulldog, Justin Houston

Justin Houston had a couple of down seasons in '15 and '16 due to a variety of injuries. The ailments limited him to just 16 combined games played over the span of two seasons, in which he produced just 11.5 sacks. 

Houston bounced back over the next two seasons and logged 19.5 sacks in the '17 and '18 seasons combined. Surprisingly, the Chiefs decided to move in a different direction and released the four-time Pro Bowler. He did not remain a free agent very long though, and he signed a two year, $24 million dollar contract with the Indianapolis Colts. 

Last week the Colts investment in Justin Houston paid off in a major way. He had a little extra motivation as he faced his former team the Kansas City Chiefs, producing four tackles and a sack. He also added 2.0 TFLs, one of which was a critical stop on fourth down, sealing the Colts road win over the favored Chiefs. He was a disruptive force all game long, pressuring Patrick Mahomes an additional five times. 

It was a triumphant NFL homecoming for Houston. However, we know his first home is here in Georgia as a Bulldog. Justin has made UGA fans proud with an extraordinary NFL career. This past week showed that the Damn Good Dawg will continue doing such in the NFL.